Biography

Michael Tan’s research lies at the intersection of Art, Health and Wellbeing. As a leading advocate for arts and health development in Singapore, he has been active in promoting awareness for arts and health among stakeholders in the fields of arts, health and social care. He has developed and conducted art–health programs in various care settings in Singapore, such as the Singapore General Hospital, The National University Hospital and the Singapore Parkinson’s society. In recent years, Michael has broadened the scope of his practice to examine the role and benefit of art engagement in eldercare.
In 2012, Michael partnered with the Agency for Integrated Care to investigate the benefits of art engagement for residents in a local nursing home. He was recently engaged by the Alzheimer’s Disease Associate of Singapore to develop an integrated art making and museum visit program for its members. He also serves as a member of the art advisory committee at the new Ng Teng Fong Hospital.
Michael holds a PhD in Arts and Health from Durham University, a Masters in Photography & Urban Cultures from Goldsmith College, University of London, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He is also the recipient of the Singapore National Arts Council Post Graduate Scholarship (2012) and was awarded the Nanyang Award for Excellence in Teaching by NTU in 2011.